Tiana's eyes reddened, "Whitney, thanks for taking the leap. I know you were worried I'd blame you."
"Yeah, what if we both didn't want the child? What then?" Whitney had agonized over this.
"I've always dreamed of her carrying my child..." Parker blurted out, his voice trailing off as he instinctively glanced at Tiana, whose cheeks suddenly flushed a bright red.
Avoiding his gaze.
He too felt at a loss for words, clearing his throat softly, "Anyway, you made the right call, Whitney!"
"But Whitney... I remember you gave me an anesthetic, and I was out cold on the operating table. And then you prescribed me herbal medicine afterwards. I also felt some pain... How would all that affect the baby?"
Realizing she was still pregnant, Tiana couldn't help feeling anxious.
Whitney raised a hand to pat her confused head, under Parker's worried gaze, admitting, "The anesthetic was just saline. I pressed on your acupoints to make you drowsy and pass out.
As for the ‘herbal medicine’, it was all to stabilize the pregnancy! If your stomach didn't hurt a bit, how could I have fooled everyone?"
Tiana's tense face finally relaxed a bit, "So that's what happened."
Watching her belly with bated breath, Parker's eyes softened instantly, comforting her deeply, "You gotta trust Whitney. She knows her stuff."
His voice, strong and reassuring, brushed against her ear. Tiana wasn't quite used to it yet. He seemed so eager, almost assuming the role of a doting father, and she couldn't help feeling that his sudden change of attitude was mostly because the baby was still alive.
Why did he care so much about the baby?
Was it because he naturally loved children, or because this child was hers?
Tiana, having sheltered herself for so long, dared not boldly fantasize about his love.
Maybe, it was because of the child, that he was now showing her kindness?
Subconsciously, she shifted her shoulders, slightly moving away from his imposing presence, murmuring softly, "We should all thank Whitney."
Parker noticed her subtle movement.
His eyes narrowed slightly. She was clearly happy about the baby, but did she want to avoid being close to him?
He didn't dwell on it much, considering he had been quite harsh with her just a few hours ago.
This woman had grievances, he knew, her pouted lips said it all.
Parker wasn't foolish. She might think his changing attitudes were all because of the child.
Ah, the naive woman, does she not realize he saw the child as a lifeline, hoping to keep her tied to him?
His gaze settled, not rushing to win her affection immediately.
As long as the second child was there, Parker had all the time in the world to bring Tiana back to his side.
"What's going on here? Tiana, Whitney, what you guys were talking about—"
At that moment, a figure approached from afar. It was Celine, her eyebrows furrowed and her expression drastically changing as she looked at Parker, then at her daughter's belly, only catching bits and pieces of their conversation.
"Tiana, you and Parker, this child?" She pointed at her daughter's belly.
"Celine..." Whitney, belatedly realizing Celine was also present, hurriedly tried to explain.
Parker raised his hand to stop her, stepping forward with a resolve to win over his future mother-in-law's forgiveness and affection. He spoke softly, "Let me handle this."
Whitney suppressed a laugh and nodded.
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